Inevitably, you have waited in a queue for your call to be answered by the next available agent in a call center organization, such as a customer service department, or technical support department, etc. Rather than increase costs by increasing the number of agents available to answer calls 24 hours a day, businesses use music to calm customers and queue prompts to keep customers informed how long the queue is and request customers not to hang-up.
There are at least two products, QueueBuster™ and Virtual Hold® that allows a customer to hang-up and receive a return callback from the business via the telephone without the customer losing their position in the queue. For both products, the customer is told the estimated queue wait time and asked if they want a callback from the business. If customers want the callback, they are prompted to say their name. Virtual Hold may prompt the customer to record a callback time and telephone number in addition to the customer's name. Otherwise, Virtual Hold and QueueBuster collects the customer's telephone number using dialed number identification service (DNIS), automatic number identification (ANI), or digits from the customer using the telephone keypad, etc. These products then save the customer's place in the queue and call back the customer when the customer's placeholder is first in line to speak to the next available agent. Both Virtual Hold and QueueBuster retry calling the customer a set number of times if the customer is not available. Virtual Hold also provides the same options to online customers.
However, these products initiate the customer callback, which may increase costs to the business, as the callback is usually via a telephone. Additionally, these products rely on the customer being able to receive the callback immediately or at the scheduled callback time. Unfortunately, a customer may become busy immediately or at the scheduled callback time or not even near the telephone at the scheduled callback time. Hence, the customer loses their place in the customer queue, which requires the customer to call the call center and begin the process again at the end of the queue.